Definition of woman
women
play \ˈwi-mən\1a : an adult female personb : a woman belonging to a particular category (as by birth, residence, membership, or occupation) —usually used in combination councilwoman
2 : womankind
3 : distinctively feminine nature : womanliness
4 : a woman who is a servant or personal attendant
5a chiefly dialectal : wifeb : mistressc : girlfriend 2
woman
adjectiveIndulge Your Inner Word Nerd
Examples of woman in a Sentence
She was a shy and awkward girl who grew up to become a confident and beautiful woman.
She is a grown woman.
The store sells shoes for both men and women.
Do they have a cleaning woman?
Recent Examples of woman from the Web
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Told at the hospital that Devani was in critical condition, the woman immediately asked if the girl could talk, police said.
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She was cast as a woman so hopelessly immature that the ensemble around her functioned as a support system, and what little plot existed was driven by her impulsive foolishness.
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An Army veteran, a recent college graduate and a student who once won a poetry contest by condemning prejudice stirred up by the Sept. 11 attacks intervened as a man screamed anti-Muslim insults at two women in Portland, Ore., on Friday.
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Upon seeing the undecorated graves of Union soldiers who died in the battle, the women placed flowers at those headstones as well.
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Back on Ocean Drive, men ditched their tops and women rocked barely-there swimsuits amid sweltering temperatures and soaring humidity.
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Prosecutors say the woman told authorities those details in an ambulance after her rescue.
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A woman in her late 20s was shot in the leg, and a man in his late teens was shot in the shoulder.
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A woman rented a place in this development and her next door neighbor was more than a little batty.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'woman'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of woman
Middle English, from Old English wīfman, from wīf woman, wife + man human being, man
First Known Use: before 12th century
WOMAN Defined for English Language Learners
woman
playDefinition of woman for English Language Learners
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: an adult female human being
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: a woman who has a specified job or position
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: all women thought of as a group
WOMAN Defined for Kids
woman
playDefinition of woman for Students
women
\ˈwi-mən\1 : an adult female person
2 : women considered as a group
Learn More about woman
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for woman Spanish Central: Translation of woman Nglish: Translation of woman for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of woman for Arabic speakers
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